Ex-Astro Andujar dies at 62

Complicationswith diabetescut short life ofcolorful player

FILE - This is a June 21, 2003, file photo showing former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Joaquin Andujar gesturing to the crowd and the Cardinal dugout before throwing his ceremonial first pitch before a baseball game between the Cardinals and Kansas City Royals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Former St. Louis Cardinals ace Joaquin Andujar has died in his native Dominican Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015. He was 62. (AP Photo/Kyle Ericson, File)

Photo: KYLE ERICSON, STR

Joaquin Andujar, who broke into the big leagues with the Astros and later starred with the St. Louis Cardinals, has died in his native Dominican Republic. He was 62.

Leonardo Matos Berrido, president of the Dominican Baseball League, told the Associated Press the cause was diabetes complications.

"Joaquin was a great competitor and very entertaining as a teammate," said Enos Cabell, a former Astros teammate. "We really enjoyed playing with him because he brought a lot of energy to our club. I'm very sad to hear of his passing."

Andujar, who originally signed with Cincinnati as a teenager in 1969, made his MLB debut with the Astros in 1976 and pitched for parts of his first six seasons in Houston and was an All-Star in 1977 and 1979. The Astros traded Andujar in June of 1981 for Tony Scott. In 1982 for the Cardinals, Andujar had a 1.35 ERA in two World Series starts against Milwaukee and won Game 7 but lost out to catcher Darrell Porter for series MVP honors.

Andujar was a two-time All-Star during five seasons with the Cardinals from 1981-85. He had 20-win seasons in 1984 and '85, led the National League in victories in '84 and was a 15-game winner on the Cardinals World Series title team in '82. He won 21 games in 1985 for an NL championship team and was ejected from Game 7 of the 1985 World Series against Kansas City for arguing balls and strikes with plate umpire Don Denkinger.

For his career, Andujar was 127-118 with a 3.58 ERA.

"Andujar distinguished himself for being a great competitor on the field, and for defending the Dominican players," said former major league pitcher Mario Soto, president of the National Federation of Professional Players in the Dominican Republic. "He always worked for Dominican players to be respected and valued in the United States."

Pedro Martinez, inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer, said via twitter: "Joaquin Andujar served people like me as a role model. Before I dream about baseball as a career, Andujar was in all my dreams."

"Joaquin was just a big personality," said Cardinals broadcaster Al Hrabosky, a colorful performer himself known as the Mad Hungarian during his playing career.

"He was good for the ballclub, not just for the wins but also to help keep people loose. There were times for levity and Joaquin was good at that."

The Cardinals traded Andujar to Oakland in 1986 and returned to Houston for one final season in 1988, working mostly out of the bullpen, before retiring at age 35.

"The passion and enthusiasm that he brought to the game will always be remembered by the fans and the players that he played with and played against," said Reid Ryan, the Astros president of business operations.

Reid Laymance is in his second tour of duty with the Houston Chronicle. A graduate of Westbury High School and The University of Texas at Austin, Laymance started his career at the Dallas Morning News in 1983 before moving to the National Sports Daily.

Reid came to the Houston Chronicle in 1991 and helped oversee the paper's coverage of the Rockets' back-to-back championships. He left the Houston Chronicle to be sports editor at the San Jose Mercury News then moved to the Boston Globe as a senior assistant sports editor, where he coordinated coverage for the Red Sox's World Series wins in 2004 and 2007, as well as a seemingly endless series of Patriots Super Bowl victories. From Boston, Laymance went to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as Sports Editor and another World Series win (Cardinals, 2011) before returning to his Houston roots.

Translator

Get insights, lively discussion and, of course, debate from Houston Chronicle columnists and guests every Thursday as they take on the most current hot-button topics in sports. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast app, and give us a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts. It helps! Thanks!